THE Costa Blanca Tourism department is working overtime this month, promoting the region in Utrecht, Holland, this week and moving immediately to Madrid and Spain’s largest tourism fair, FITUR, starting January 18. One of the main reasons behind their attendance in Holland is to promote Europe’s largest campsite, which opened in December 2011, on the outskirts of Catral, Alicante. The campsite at Marjal de Crevillent is the largest in Europe and with the backing of the Provincial Tourism Department of the Costa Blanca they are exhibiting in the International fair ‘Vakantiebeurs’ in the Dutch city of Utrecht through Sunday, 15 January.

Vakantiebeurs is the largest Tourism exhibition in the Netherlands and the Tourist Department are attending to promote not just the campsite but the entire Costa Blanca region, to increase awareness and boost the numbers of visitors to the province, to hold meetings with key tour operators and boost tourism and awareness of the region in general. Camping is the preferred choice of accommodation for the Dutch when visiting the Costa Blanca. Attending the fair is Tourism Deputy for Alicante Province and Torrevieja’s Deputy Mayor Joaquín Albaladejo, who said that “the presence of the Provincial Tourist Board is required because we have significant incentives to show at this event, due to the large numbers of camping places available in the province, one of our major attractions for tourists from the Netherlands, along with the offer of sun and beach and our privileged climate.”

The main hub of the Dutch promotion is the brand new Marjal Costa Blanca Eco Camping Resort , one of the most modern and best-equipped campsite resorts in Spain. It features ample camping areas, offering pitches between 90 and 180 square metres each, all fully serviced with electric hook-ups, water and drainage. There are 40 fully equipped Mobil Homes with two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and veranda featuring amenities that are not usually found on campsites such as modern toilet and shower facilities with washbasins, toilets, shower cubicles, dish-washing area, a laundry room with washing machines and tumble dryers, chemical toilet disposal and other amenities.

The feel and set of the campsite is reminiscent of some of the world’s largest Cruise ships as it features many of the same facilities. It’s similar to taking a Butlins or Pontins of the sixties and bring everything up to date. The Campsite has a Tapas bar, restaurant, swimming pool bar, wellness centre, fitness studios, heated swimming pools, saunas, Turkish bath, physiotherapy service and spa. There are tropical lake swimming pools, a supermarket, clubhouse, pub and for those that wish to keep active a full range of sports facilities including tennis, padel tennis, basketball and football sala plus more relaxing activities such as Pétanque courts, barbecue area and a children’s playground. It also has a hairdressers, playroom, vet’s office for those that travel with their pets, one of the main reasons that camping is so popular to the Dutch, ATM, car wash, newsagent and even a Doctor’s surgery, babysitting plus care services, private security, wi-fi and satellite TV. Enough to keep most visitors occupied while still being just 20-minutes from the Mediterranean beaches and 15 minutes to main shopping centres.

The Campsite is fully accessible for the disabled and has a huge range of entertainment on offer, which will not only appeal to the residents but also those living in or visiting the local area. For the warmer months they have a full entertainment team on staff, and for the younger ones a Mini Club, Teen Club and Fun Club with their own games room, bouncy castle, open air game parks, crafts classes, nursery, shows and children’s tournaments. That’s a huge boon for parents who can relax while the little ones are having fun, with the peace of mind that they are in good hands. Other features of the campsite include aquaerobic classes, waterpolo, thematic parties, sports tournaments and night time entertainment with plenty of music and dancing planned along with the production of spectacular stage shows, all in the one place without ever having to leave the campsite!
‘VakantierBeurs’ is one of the most important Tourism events in Europe, with 800 exhibitors and over 120,000 professionals from 102 countries promoting Europe and beyond. Meanwhile, with hardly time to catch their breath, the promotional team returns to Spain for Fitur, the International Tourism Trade Fair, which celebrates its 32nd edition from 18 to 22 January 2012. Fitur is a meeting point for tourism professionals in which they can establish lines of action, strategies and business alliances to energize and consolidate the tourism business, innovating to answer the changing demands of the market. The last edition featured 10,434 exhibiting companies from 166 countries/regions and attracted 209,260 visitors between tourism professionals and the general public. More information at www.ifema.es.